A variety of toothbrush configurations exist that have stationary and/or mechanically-driven movable cleaning elements. These conventional toothbrushes are dedicated to tooth cleaning/polishing operations and typically include a head portion directed to the cleaning polishing operations, and a handle portion. The head typically has a flat or slightly altered surface to which tooth cleaning elements are attached, or to which mechanically-driven movable carriers for the tooth cleaning elements are attached.
Conventional toothbrushes have tooth cleaning elements that extend from a rigid head. Teeth and gums by nature have a complex intricate contour. Due to the rigid nature of the attachment of the tooth cleaning elements to the head of the toothbrush, the orientation of the tooth cleaning elements is not flexible and thus conventional toothbrushes do not provide optimal cleaning of teeth and gums. Conventional toothbrushes therefore have great difficulty in contacting areas of the teeth located at a greater distance from the head, including interproximal spaces between teeth.
It would be desirable to provide a powered toothbrush that reduces or overcomes some or all of the difficulties inherent in prior known devices. Particular objects and advantages will be apparent to those skilled in the art, that is, those who are knowledgeable or experienced in this field of technology, in view of the following disclosure of the invention and detailed description of certain embodiments.